Playground: Growing Up in the New York Underground

by Paul Zone, Jake Austen, Debbie Harry (Foreword)

While most teenagers daydreamed of summer break while playing rock 'n' roll in their bedrooms, fourteen-year-old Paul Zone danced away his youth in underground clubs with those very same rock stars, exploring the concrete playground with actors, drag queens, and drug addicts. The mid-1970s was a time when the death of glam and the birth of punk rock collided in a celebration of glitter and grunge, and Zone had a front-row seat to it all. In this incredible photo memoir, Zone shares personal images that have never been released to the public alongside memories of the era, all through the eyes of a youngster whose reverential regard to his subjects made him a regular fixture in the lives of these greats. Zone captures the joys and the fantasy of the New York underground with a genuine intimacy, making this volume a worthy tribute to the legends of underground rock royalty.

Genres: Music

208 pages, Hardcover

First published March 16, 2014

Reviews

[Furysmom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul Zone did a great job telling his family’s story trying to make it in the music world —and with it paints such a great picture of NYC from the Glam days to the early Punk days. Paul and his brothers were good friends with the Ramones and Blondie as they were starting out, among many others. If you are a fan of early punk, this book is a must read.

The pictures included are all pictures Paul Zone took of shows and friends. Casual, candid, and completely immersing us into that world and that time. The story continues on to the success he had in the disco world and also tells about the loss of his brothers and so many friends to AIDS.

This is a book I will be sad to return to the library. So thankful to have come across it and I hope others who are interested in music history take the time to read and enjoy it as well.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paul Zone was a member of The Fast, a mid 70's NYC rock band that played CBGB's, Max's etc. He was not a professional photographer, but he took a lot of pictures of his favorite bands in concert and many of the "underground" bands -Ramones, Blondie, Heartbreakers etc. The best part of this book is Paul's own story,
from being a kid inspired by rock n' roll to form a band with his brothers, playing gigs when Kiss was still the most talked about unsigned NY band, and his unusual path from a rock band to dance music artist.
If you are a rocknroll history fan or enjoy reading about the NYC early "punk" scene, this book is for you.
Patti Smith, The Ramones, Blondie are credited with creating the NY mid 70's music underground. But they came out of a little known scene where The New York Dolls was the flashpoint band for what was to come.
Paul describes these days with sweet nostalgia.

[Mills College Library]

782.42166 Z872 2014